They are depicted as pets, as mousers, in Bestiaries, in marginalia and in other surprising images - for example, depictions of cats in religious iconography. Images of cats appear extensively in medieval manuscripts. The text is peppered with fascinating facts about the medieval view of cats and amusing anecdotes about people and their pets in the Middle Ages, for example. This charming gift book presents a wealth of cat imagery from a wide variety of medieval sources and will have a wide appeal for cat lovers everywhere. The fingers are usually together but are sometimes slightly apart (as in the picture in the question) and sometimes crossed (as in several versions of Salvator Mundi).Ĭoat of arms of Heiligenkreuz Abbey.Images of cats appear extensively in medieval manuscripts. This is commonly found in paintings from the medieval period. Or it is possible that two of the above may be equally true.and I'm sure others could come up with other interpretations too.Ĭoncerning the two fingers, this may have been intended as a sign of benediction (thanks to T.E.D., rougon and bgwiehle for the comments / prompts). Or it is possible the artist did it just for the amusement of himself and / or the reader as there seems to be a tongue-in-cheek element to this illustration. Another possible interpretation is that the part woman, part bird image is some kind of take on a siren.
![cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/57/7c/13/577c138400b8d4585cdf2801a3202caa.jpg)
It is possible that the artist is referring (for some reason not evident here) to a high-born woman who enjoyed falconry/hawking (if the glove is intended to be a gauntlet). However, I'll stick my neck out and venture some possibilities. Illustrations were sometimes a commentary on the text but without knowing what that text is, interpretation of the illustration in the question above is all but impossible (if any interpretation was intended in the first place). Just occasionally they are there simply to delight the eye. Sometimes the pictures give a fascinating glimpse into the history of the region and the lives of people who created the text. In a time when so many people could not read, the pictures helped them understand and remember the text. Sometimes the images depict stories associated with the text, but not necessarily directly related to it. In particular, that marginalia became viewed as a genre worthy of scholars were completely uninterested and wrote it offĪs trivial or not meaning anything.It was only relatively recently,ĭue to the work of scholars like Michael Camille and Lillian Randall, In the 12th century, St Bernard of Clairvaux wrote, What profit is there in those ridiculous monsters, in that marvellous and deformed beauty, that beautiful deformity? To what purpose are those unclean apes, those fierce lions, those monstrous centaurs, those half-men… This article in History Today shows how even at least some contemporaries were baffled:ĭebate over the purpose of these illustrations has continued, seemingly from the very beginning of their use. Passages (or insert text that was accidentally left out), to poke funĪt the religious establishment, or to make pop-culture references Though the meaning of specific images is still hotly debated, scholarsĬonjecture that marginalia allowed artists to highlight important
![cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts](https://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2022/6/26/a/4/1/a41627de-8b12-4e45-9e45-c9ae98857dd5.jpg)
![cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/d8/2b/63d82bfa7daeb54d78a4c2722744f5f0.jpg)
In many (maybe most) cases we simply don't know what they mean, or even if they were supposed to mean anything at all. There are many such strange illustrations in medieval manuscripts, especially in the margins (known as marginalia).
![cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts cats as marginalia in medieval manuscripts](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/F7WTJ6/cat-on-cemetery-F7WTJ6.jpg)
The artist may not have intended any particular meaning, but I've listed some possibilities at the end of the long answer. As with most such images in medieval manuscripts, it's hard to tell.